As Erick Barkley and Bootsy Thornton rejoiced on the Cameron hardwood Saturday in front of 9,314 Cameron Crazies, many of whom had been holed up in a tent for at least the previous 10 days, the Blue Devils (22-4, 13-1 in the ACC) received a harsh lesson in the rollercoaster ride that is a college basketball season.
Over the course of a 30-plus game campaign, fatigue and motivation levels rise and fall, while outcomes of games that should be sure-things swing the opposite direction. St. John's, riding a streak of white-hot play, swept into Durham and stole a victory from a team with an apparent advantage on paper.
Such are the realities of hotly contested games as March Madness officially begins.
Given that upsets do occur, one point of separation between great teams and merely good ones is how they respond to such adversity. With Clemson (10-17, 4-10) playing host to Duke tonight, the Blue Devils will get an opportunity to prove to skeptics nationwide that they fall in the "great" category.
"We have to regroup and get to the point where we were at earlier in the season," Carlos Boozer said. "The team really needs to keep working. The St. John's game might have been a letdown, but I think we will come back strongly."
Clemson, while light years away from achieving juggernaut status, presents more of a challenge to the Blue Devils than the shoddy record would indicate. They come into tonight's contest having knocked off N.C. State in an impressive 66-63 victory in Raleigh on Saturday.
And Clemson has knocked off a ranked Duke team six times in the past 12 years.
Tonight is Clemson's Senior Night, a game the Tigers have won 11 out of the last 13 years. Their only player slated to receive his degree this spring, fifth-year senior Andrius Jurkunas, usually is the key ingredient for his team's success. In the Tigers' four ACC victories, Jurkunas has averaged 17.8 points, while in their 10 defeats, he has only mustered 6.8.
"Going into Clemson is always difficult," Chris Carrawell said. "It's a tough environment. However, I think it will be good for us to get on the road and get back to winning."
The main individual threat to Duke's chances for victory remains Will Solomon. In the teams' first meeting this year, a 93-59 Duke drubbing, Solomon posted a 19-point performance. But every one of those points came in the second half, after the outcome had already been effectively rendered. In order for the Tigers to have any shot against the Blue Devils, Solomon needs to play more consistently over all 40 minutes.
Carlos Boozer, however, does not fear Solomon, or any Tiger for that matter.
"Clemson does have some good players," Boozer said. "The biggest thing though about this game is us. It's about how we bounce back from our game against St. John's."
Chris Carrawell will undoubtedly need to rise to the forefront of the Blue Devils' attack to provide senior leadership on a team facing a serious mental hurdle as the more high-pressure games approach.
As his days in a Blue Devil uniform quickly dwindle, Carrawell has unexpectedly achieved his place in Duke basketball history. Though he is just a respectable 24th on the all-time scoring list, Carrawell has been a part of 115 victories, just a strong post-season run away from overtaking the Duke record of 123 wins, posted by both Christian Laettner and Brian Davis.
"I knew I always had it in me, but I think I've been a surprise to others," Carrawell admitted. "I've elevated my game this year, and lots of people never thought I'd do that. When all of our stars left last year, I was given an opportunity, and-bam-I took advantage of it."
At Clemson tonight, the Blue Devils begin the post-St John's recovery, and like their senior leader, they must defy expectations to reach their highest level of play.
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